Monday, June 24, 2013

Weeks 27-29: Yeah I know, more like six and a half months, but the whole week/month thing is so confusing. Let's just go with it.

First off, let's talk about bumps. I took this picture to compare the two pregnancies:

27 w: Finn left, Baby 2.O right

These were both taken at 27 weeks, give or take a day or two. When I was pregnant with Finn I was told by many strangers that it was obvious I was having a boy because I was carrying "so high". Well I'm not sure how clear it is here, but this baby is LOW LOW LOW and also a boy. I think it's hard to tell just because my bump with Finn was a bit smaller at this point, but if you look above my belly you can see how much more room there is there the second time around. I remember reading this post from Julia and thinking the high=boy, low=girl theory was very true for her! I will say that I'm again carrying "all in front" and supposedly girls spread out wider? Who knows!

28w

The beginning of the third trimester was pretty kind to me. I had another great midwife appointment and my weight is still okay (and better than last time), up 22 lbs at 27 weeks. We are not having awful heat or humidity here yet, and I was still able to sleep okay. I actually asked my midwife if it was okay that I was still sleeping only halfway on my side and occasionally on my back. With Finn I remember those positions becoming very uncomfortable early on and that was my sign to stop. This time I felt fine. So I was starting off on my side but not always staying there.

Well I shouldn't have even brought that up because a couple of days later I was noticing this funny sensation when laying on my back. Hmm it was almost like I couldn't breathe? Turned over to my right side... hmm that's not very comfortable either, what the... oh yes... so NOW baby is telling me to stay on my left side. It was nice while it lasted. The lovely lower leg cramping thing started up a couple of days after that, waking me and sending me sitting straight up in bed and crying out from the sudden sharp pain of it. So now sleep is crap. Let's hope it's a phase.

28w1d

The sweat factor aside, I will say that it's much nicer to be pregnant in the summer (I was pregnant the exact opposite months the first time around) in terms of maternity clothes. I'm living in mostly non-maternity skirts and dresses, which is nice. Ask me again when the humidity is off the charts in August.

Baby 2.O continues to be so very active, moving nonstop for ten and fifteen minutes at a time some days. He had the hiccups for the first (noticeable) time this month which was fun. I really thought he had moved head-down, but lately the movements are so all over the place I really have no idea. I'm anxious for my 30 week appointment to see if they can tell where he is.

29w3d

That's it from preggo-land (much less time to sit around and think about being pregnant with a toddler!).... more than 2/3 of the way there!

Wednesday, June 19, 2013

1. Thanks for your sweet comments on the Day in the Life posts. (The last part will be up tomorrow.) They are time-consuming to do but I am always so glad to look back on them. Everything changes so fast with a baby/toddler. That's both a good thing and a bad thing! Finn is in a fairly easy stage right now but I'll be happy to trade in some of our current challenges (potty training, listening or lack there of) for new ones, even though those come with learning curves of their own.

2. The learning tower that we have for Finn was made from these Ana White plans. I got a couple of questions about it. My husband is
pretty handy but he says it wasn't that difficult to make. We decided
not to make it folding (it's an option in the plans) because even folded
it takes up quite a bit of room to store so we just kept it simple.
It's not really as bulky to have in the kitchen as I'd imagined though,
and we have a tiny kitchen.

on the highest platform setting at 18 months

on the 2nd platform setting at 26 months

3. The bibs Finn is wearing in the cooking pics and picnic pics are the Bumkins Bibs
in the Junior size. We have three, including two of the Keith Haring designs which are especially cute.

5. This past Christmas I was introduced to Lush products for the first time and I have to say I'm obsessed. I just went without the Ocean Salt Scrub for the first time in months and I don't want to do it again. My skin has seriously never looked better. I've been using the Therapy Massage Bar on my belly instead of the belly butter I used with my first pregnancy on the recommendation of someone at Lush and it's amazing. She said the Neroli oil in it has been proven to improve skin texture and tone... also it smells amazing. I can also vouch for their Dream Cream and Cuticle Butter. I have to say I've been impressed with everything I've tried from there and it just seems a lot higher quality than most products I've used recently. Just so you know, I'm not getting paid to say this (although hey Lush I will happily take anything free you want to send my way).

6. The Honest Company is really pushing the cuteness levels with their new diaper patterns...have you seen them? They are tempting this cloth diaper loving mom, especially with the new anchor and peacock patterns (a boy could rock these, no?)... AND the 4th of July one? I just ordered a pack for our summer vacation to Maine; these are definitely my go-to disposable diaper for trips. On the advice of my friend Marisa I also decided to try some of their home and beauty products... I'm especially interested in trying their natural bug spray. I'll do a review when they arrive if anyone is interested.

Saturday, June 15, 2013

I've always wanted to, but have been way too intimidated to try a CSA share. My mother-in-law raves about hers, but I've seen some of those what-the-heck-is-that vegetables and I fear for my guilt level knowing how much I'd end up throwing away unused, not knowing what to do with them. So when I saw a berry/fruit CSA program advertised at the farmer's market near our house I got excited. Finn can eat his weight in berries, and fruit lends itself to baking (my baking skillz >>> my cooking skillz) more than most of the veggies in the CSA shares I've seen. We signed up for a 20 week program and are splitting our share in half with another family.

These were amazing and we actually made them two weeks in a row. The first time I cut the recipe in half because I didn't think I'd like the rhubarb taste enough to help my husband eat them, but I was wrong. They were delicious.

2. Strawberry Cheesecake Streusel Muffins
No pics of these, but trust me they were fabulous and looked just like the picture in the recipe link. Lots of steps though, Finn could only make it through mixing up each layer and I did most of the assembly without his "help".

3. Strawberry Freezer Jam
Through no fault of this recipe, I bought the wrong kind of fruit pectin and so the jam we made never really jelled up to full-on jam consistency. We've been using it in PB&Js anyways, and it's great on pancakes. It was my first time attempting jam and very easy to make though, so I will definitely give it another shot.

Eating about four strawberries for every one he cut

Yum

Mashing!

At least they look pretty

4. Strawberry French Toast Roll-Ups
These were a big fat fail the first time I tried to make them (totally did not read directions right- this is a hazard of cooking while distracted by a toddler), and just as big of a WIN when I tried them again. We used Nutella, but you can also use cream cheese. I personally won't be messing with the perfect combo of Nutella and strawberries but will definitely be making them again.

fail version... nothing about this says "roll up"

second try, much improved

for the record, Finn actually approved of both versions

5. Mini Blueberry Pies
These were great but I have to say I prefer the strawberry ones. Finn disagrees.

blueberry quality control

you're going to have to squeeze a bit harder than that, buddy

adding cinnamon and nutmeg

stirring

not very pretty but that didn't keep them from being eaten up immediately

My quick tips for baking with a toddler...

1. Buy (or convince your husband to make) a learning tower. Sure you can use a chair, but this allows a tiny bit less hovering to make sure he doesn't fall off of it. Sometimes that stirring gets rather vigorous, man. (Insert disclaimer about OF COURSE I monitor my kid while he's in the kitchen but I'm not always touching him.) We get a ton of use out of ours that Finn's dad made him for Christmas (although we have yet to paint it, oops).

2. Prep stuff a bit ahead of time. I try to get all the ingredients and tools out before I get Finn involved. Once we start he has a limited attention span so I don't want to use that up searching for stuff in the kitchen or realizing I don't have what we need. It also keeps me from having to walk far away from him while he's in the vicinity of stuff he could hurt himself on or make a huge mess with. If there are steps that I know he can't be involved in (sharp knives, hot pans) I try to do that ahead of time if I can.

nice try mom but you exceeded your allotment of toddler attention span for the day!

over it!

3. LET GO... of your kitchen being clean, of your recipe looking or tasting perfect, and of each step being followed precisely. This is probably the only important one. You're only going to frustrate yourself and your toddler if you think of baking with them as anything but a fun adventure. I may or may not have learned this the hard way ;)

Friday, June 7, 2013

The end of the second trimester has been pretty easy on me. No more sickness and no complications to report, knock on wood. Looking back to my first pregnancy, I spent these weeks freaking out about if I should make the switch from an OB to a midwife, which I did, and it turned out to be a very good choice for me. No freaking out this time, I'm still thrilled with the midwife practice I'm with (although a new one for this pregnancy) and planning another natural hospital birth. I would absolutely LOVE to deliver at their beautiful birth center, but have decided (my choice) not to given the recovery complications I had with Finn. I want the support and monitoring in the days following birth that the hospital provides (you typically go home just hours after a birth center birth- something many other moms love, but not me). So... goodbye huge whirlpool spa tub and hello teeny tiny crappy hospital tub. Oh well.

21w4d

One difference in the birth plan this time around is that we've hired a doula. Although I was interested in doing so with my first pregnancy, my old midwife group convinced me it wasn't necessary since they would be present throughout my whole birth. That turned out to not be the case. My husband was an incredible labor coach but I am really looking forward to the extra support for both of us that a doula can provide this time around. I had my initial meeting with the one I've chosen, and we've set up a longer meeting for July. I'm also planning to use the Hypnobabies program again... although I should probably find those CDs and dust them off!

Last time around at this point hubs still had not felt Finn move, which makes me laugh because we're at the point now where he's felt 2.O move so much that I think he's bored by it. I have to say I still delight in every little movement I feel and the abundance of them is making me get ridiculously excited to meet this little guy. He's still moving much more than his big brother ever did.

My belly is measuring one centimeter ahead of the number of weeks I am, just like I did with Finn. In the weight department, at 22 weeks I was up 18 lbs, a bit less than with Finn (and let's add to that that I started this pregnancy six pounds lighter), huzzah! Maybe I will not reach the +38 lb mark like last time (or maybe I will, whatever... I would be happy with less but know my body will do what it needs to do).

25w1d

I don't think I ever updated on my gestational diabetes status... since I had it last time around (although I still question the diagnosis big time), I had an early glucose tolerance test with this pregnancy. I passed this time with flying colors! I've since been monitoring my fasting and post-meal sugar levels every few days, which I've chosen to do as an alternative to repeating the one hour test at 28 weeks. So far there has been no sign of a problem. SO happy to avoid this this time around. Really all it meant with Finn was a ton of extra appointments, but with a two-year old it would NOT be easy to do so many this time.